Mick Jagger Wanted to Play Alex in 'A Clockwork Orange,' The Beatles Wanted to Do Soundtrack

Letters of Note blog has yet another amazing discovery for us today. Before Kubrick famously took the helm of "A Clockwork Orange," producer Si Litvinoff approached director John Schlesinger with the project. Litvinoff's letter to Schlesinger is revealing: Mick Jagger was interested in playing the role of Alex (eventually to be played to iconic effect by Malcolm McDowell) and none other than the Beatles wanted to supply the soundtrack.

Letters of Note blog has yet another amazing discovery for us today. Before Kubrick famously took the helm of "A Clockwork Orange," producer Si Litvinoff approached director John Schlesinger ("Midnight Cowboy") with the project. Litvinoff's letter to Schlesinger is revealing: Mick Jagger was interested in playing the role of Alex (eventually to be played to iconic effect by Malcolm McDowell) and none other than the Beatles wanted to supply the soundtrack.

Head on over to LoN to see the transcript of Litvinoff's letter, where he wisely writes that the film "should break ground in its language, cinematic style and its soundtrack."

Actor David Hemmings was the original favorite to play Alex, following his success in Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blowup." LoN also includes a petition sent to screenwriter Terry Southern protesting Hemmings' frontrunner status ahead of Jagger's.

One year following Litvinoff's letter to Schlesinger, Kubrick stepped in to direct "A Clockwork Orange." And the rest is history, folks.